Cannabinoid depleted cannabis formulations and products

ABSTRACT

An article and composition of matter including processed cannabis plant material with at least one cannabinoid, wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of one or more cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material to a level sufficient to prevent an onset of negative consequences of THC consumption if said material portion is not removed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to cannabis formulations and products. In particular those made from cannabis plant material from which a portion of the cannabinoids have been depleted or removed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cannabis use, either in the setting of medical programs or adult-use programs is increasing rapidly in the United States and around the world. While cannabis, from a medical, pharmacological, and toxicological standpoint is remarkably safe, the overconsumption of cannabinoids contained in cannabis, and in particular tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC,”) can be associated with a variety of unpleasant side effects. These overconsumption effects include paranoia, intense anxiety, hyperemesis, and several others. The experience of THC overconsumption can be so unpleasant, that often, a single negative experience is sufficient to turn somebody off of cannabis use for life.

There are compelling public health reasons to favor cannabis use over alcohol, tobacco, opioids, benzodiazepines, and other far more dangerous substances. It would therefore be unfortunate if a single bad experience resulted in the loss of the harm-reduction benefits associated with cannabis substitution of these more dangerous substances.

SUMMARY

As specified in the Background Section above, there is a need in the art to develop new plant based cannabinoid formulations in which the cannabinoid potency has been decreased to a level that would enable a user to consume the entirety of a cannabis cigarette without ill effects. Therefore, this disclosure provides descriptions of:

A method for reducing the probability of cannabinoid overconsumption by providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids. Of particular utility here is the depletion of intoxicating cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

A method for reducing the negative side effects of over consumption of cannabinoids by providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids, and in particular THC.

A method for reducing the anxiety associated with the consumption of cannabis made up of providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids, and in particular THC. The method is accomplished by providing a single serving cannabis cigarette that contains an amount of THC insufficient to cause anxiety in the majority of users, even cannabis naïve users.

A method for repurposing the cannabis plant waste product of mechanical trichome separation by providing the trichome depleted cannabis plant material in suitable delivery forms for consumption.

A composition of matter made up of cannabis plant material that has at least one cannabinoid, wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material.

A cannabis cigarette comprising a portion of cannabis plant material, further comprising at least one cannabinoid, encased in a suitable matrix wherein the portion of cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material.

A packaged cannabis product made up of an outer container, which in some embodiments is child proof/resistant, and a cannabis cigarette or cigarettes disposed within the container. The cannabis cigarette is made up of a portion of cannabis plant material encased or wrapped-up-in a casing wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material amount of at least one of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments and drawings. All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from context

The cannabinoids are a class of molecules found in cannabis plant material, although they can also be made synthetically or in bioreactors. The various cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), (“the major cannabinoids”), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and cannabidivarin (CBDV) as well as others (“the minor cannabinoids”). Various cannabinoids, used alone or in combination have shown a variety of significant biological effects including but not limited to pain relief, anti cancer, anti inflammatory, anti-emetic, anti-convulsant, and many others, including recreational effects.

An embodiment of the invention is a method for reducing the probability of cannabinoid overconsumption by providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids. Of particular utility here is the depletion of intoxicating cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Another embodiment is a method for reducing the negative side effects of over consumption of cannabinoids by providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids, and in particular THC. Another embodiment is a method for reducing the anxiety associated with the consumption of cannabis made up of providing cannabis material that has been depleted of cannabinoids, and in particular THC. The method is accomplished by providing a single serving cannabis cigarette or other form-factor that contains an amount of THC insufficient to cause anxiety in the majority of users, including inexperienced cannabis users, and/or cannabis naïve users.

An embodiment of the invention is a method for repurposing the cannabis plant waste-product of mechanical trichome separation by providing the trichome depleted cannabis plant material in suitable delivery forms for consumption. Suitable delivery forms include but are not limited to pre-rolled cannabis cigarettes, packaged flower, vaporizer pods, deli-style flower, ready-to-roll (course ground) cannabis, and the like.

An embodiment of the invention is a composition of matter made up of cannabis plant material that has at least one cannabinoid, wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material.

An embodiment of the invention is a cannabis cigarette comprising a portion of cannabis plant material, further comprising at least one cannabinoid, encased in a suitable matrix or wrapping/wrapper, wherein the portion of cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material. Suitable matrices for encasing the cannabis plant material include but are not limited to rolling papers, pre-formed cones, blunt wrappers, and the like.

An embodiment of the invention is packaged cannabis product made up of an outer container, which in some embodiments is child proof/resistant, and a cannabis cigarette or cigarettes disposed within the container. The cannabis cigarette is made up of a portion of cannabis plant material encased or wrapped-up-in a casing, or wrapping, or wrapper, wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material amount of at least one of the cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material.

Cannabinoid depletion: There are several methods that are suitable for the depletion of cannabinoids, in particular THC, from cannabis material. Those methods include but are not limited to: mechanical trichome separation—such as dry sifting, screening, and ice-water trichome separation, and the like; and solvent based cannabinoid extraction—such as ethanol extraction, CO2 extraction, hydrocarbon extraction, and the like. Some of these extraction processes may be better suited for total, or near-total cannabinoid depletion, such as for example, ethanol, CO2 and hydrocarbon extraction. In some embodiments a total or near-total cannabinoid depletion is a preferred outcome insofar as it will allow for more control over careful formulation to a desired cannabinoid content and mix.

Formulation: in some embodiments the depleted cannabis plant material will be precisely formulated to ensure that a desired amount of total cannabinoids are present. This formulation can be accomplished in many different ways known to those having skill in the art. In an embodiment the formulation is done by mixing a totally, or near-totally depleted portion of cannabis plant material with: less depleted cannabis plant material; non-depleted cannabis plant material; cannabis plant fractions that naturally contain little or no cannabinoids—such as fan leaves; isolated trichomes (or a trichome enriched mechanical extract); isolated cannabinoids; and/or depleted or non-depleted cannabis plant material that does not contain the specific cannabinoid looking to be controlled—for example mixing THC containing plant material with CBD containing plant material.

In a specific embodiment depleted cannabis material is mixed with a fortification solution. In an embodiment the fortification solution is made up of a solvent enriched cannabis extract (ethanol, butane, pentane, hexane, propane, etc—alone or in combination). A solvent enriched cannabis extract is a cannabis extract that contains more residual solvent than would be desirable for consumption. The purpose of the solvent enriched extract is to have a low viscosity cannabis solution, that is readily mixable with cannabis plant material. Non-limiting examples of a solvent enriched cannabis extract suitable for this purpose include but are not limited to unpurged or lightly purged ethanolic or light hydrocarbon extracts. In some embodiments distilled cannabis oil, with or without terpenes, and ethanol form the fortification solution. The use of decarboxylated distillate will improve the binding of the plant material in cannabis cigarettes. To form the formulated plant material, the depleted cannabis plant material is mixed with the fortification solution and then cured to remove the remaining residual solvent. In some embodiments the curing takes place in a vacuum oven or other suitable apparatus sufficient to remove the solvent from the cannabis plant material/fortification solution combination.

TABLE 1 shows a breakdown of the target THC percentages of cannabis plant material required to make different sized cannabis cigarettes with a desired total quantity of THC. Desired Mass of Target THC Cannabis percentage of Cigarette (mg) Desired mg THC/unit Cannabis input 1000 30 3.00% 500 30 6.00% 250 30 12.00% 100 30 30.00% 1000 20 2.00% 500 20 4.00% 250 20 8.00% 100 20 20.00% 1000 10 1.00% 500 10 2.00% 250 10 4.00% 100 10 10.00% 1000 5 0.50% 500 5 1.00% 250 5 2.00% 100 5 5.00% 1000 2.5 0.25% 500 2.5 0.50% 250 2.5 1.00% 100 2.5 2.50%

Volatiles reintroduction: Because the depletion methods referenced above will also tend to remove the volatiles portion of the cannabis, it will be useful, in some embodiments, to reintroduce volatile substances lost during the depletion process. These volatiles include but are not limited to terpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, and the like. These volatiles may be re-introduced by any means known to those having skill in the art. For example, a portion of cannabinoid depleted cannabis may be sprayed with (or otherwise combined with) a blend of terpenes and/or terpenoids, and/or flavonoids. The fortification process described above would also be suitable for re-introducing volatiles.

While the present disclosure includes many embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood in the broadest sense allowable by law.

With respect to the above, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components listed or the steps set forth in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The various apparatus and methods of the disclosed invention are capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced and carried out in various ways that would be readily known to those skilled in the art, given the present disclosure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as in any way limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may be utilized as a basis for designing other inventions with similar properties. It is important therefore that the embodiments, objects, and claims herein, be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A composition of matter comprising: a processed cannabis plant material, further comprising at least one cannabinoid, wherein the cannabis plant material has been processed to remove a material portion of the at least one cannabinoid present in the cannabis plant material to a level sufficient to prevent an onset of negative consequences of THC consumption if said material portion is not removed.
 2. The composition of matter of claim 1 wherein an amount of THC remaining in the portion of cannabis plant material is less than about 30 mg.
 3. The composition of matter of claim 2 wherein the amount of THC remaining in the portion of cannabis plant material is less than about 20 mg.
 4. The composition of matter of claim 3 wherein the amount of THC remaining in the portion of cannabis plant material is less than about 10 mg.
 5. The composition of matter of claim 4 wherein the amount of THC remaining in the portion of cannabis plant material is less than about 5 mg.
 6. The composition of matter of claim 5 wherein the amount of THC remaining in the portion of cannabis plant material is less than about 2.5 mg.
 7. A cannabis cigarette comprising: a portion of processed cannabis plant material encased in a matrix wherein the cannabis plant material is processed to remove a material portion of cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant material to a level sufficient to prevent an onset of negative consequences of THC overconsumption if the cannabinoids are not removed.
 8. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a final cannabinoid percentage is between 1-10%.
 9. The cannabis cigarette of claim 8 wherein the final cannabinoid percentage is between 2-8%.
 10. The cannabis cigarette of claim 9 wherein the final cannabinoid percentage is between 3-5%.
 11. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is between about 5-10 mg.
 12. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is less than about 30 mg.
 13. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is less than about 20 mg.
 14. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is less than about 10 mg.
 15. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is less than about 5 mg.
 16. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein a total amount of THC in the cannabis plant material portion is less than about 2.5 mg.
 17. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein the cannabis plant material portion has been fortified with a mixture of terpenes.
 18. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein the cannabis plant material portion has been fortified with a flavorant or combination of flavorants.
 19. The cannabis cigarette of claim 7 wherein the cannabis plant material portion has been fortified with a mixture of volatile compounds present in cannabis plant material.
 20. A method of manufacturing a cannabis cigarette comprising: removing a material portion of at least one cannabinoid present in a quantity of cannabis plant material to a level sufficient to prevent an onset of negative consequences of THC consumption if said material portion is not removed; and encasing an individual portion of the cannabis material with a wrapping.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein said removing includes mechanical trichrome separation of the cannabis plant material.
 22. The method of claim 20 wherein said removing includes a solvent-based extraction process. 